Volvo Has Been Investigating Car Crashes For Half A Century

Volvo’s Accident Research Team has been in operation since 1970, acting as the carmaker’s very own CSI unit, if you will. Their task is to be ready at all times and to help the Swedish brand learn from real-life accidents in order to improve their passenger cars.

Whenever an accident involving a Volvo car takes place around Gothenburg, Sweden, the team will arrive at the scene and begin an investigation, documenting their findings in great detail.

“The Accident Research Team hard work and research allows Volvo Cars to make sure that a tragic traffic accident can lead to something good: ever safer cars,” said Volvo Safety Center boss, Malin Ekholm. “By closely analyzing what has happened during each phase of an accident, the team provides crucial information on what can be improved on our cars.”

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Once they arrive at the scene of a crash, they begin by asking questions such as: “How forceful was the impact?” ; “How quickly did the active safety systems intervene?” ; “How are the passengers?” – then they look at the weather, time of day, conditions of the road markings, and so on.

Afterwards, the team will return to HQ and begin contacting the driver in order to gain access to the vehicle and examine it. They will also request publicly accessible police reports. The team will then try to understand how the driver experienced the accident, which is where Volvo’s own behavioral scientists come in.

Finally, they will look at medical records, with biomechanics experts and physicists analyzing the effects of the crash.

Volvo’s Accident Research Team will look at around 30-50 crashes in person every year, but will also rely on different personnel and emergency services closer to the site for incidents all over the globe.